Electronic device

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a base, a battery module and an upper cover. The battery module is disposed in the base. The battery module includes a tray and at least one battery unit. The battery unit is disposed on the tray. The upper cover is connected to the base and covers the battery module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/580,295, filed on Dec. 26, 2011. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to, an electronic device having a battery module.

2. Description of Related Art

As technology advances, types of electronic devices have become increasingly diverse, taking for example, a notebook computer. As compared to a traditional desktop PC, the notebook computer, in addition to a thinning design that allows users to carry around with convenience, has the same functionalities as the traditional desktop PC, and is continuously lowering in price at the same time, such that the notebook computer has gradually become widespread and is even replacing the desktop PC.

In order to allow the users to carry around easily and to use at anywhere, the notebook computer is generally configured with a battery module in order to provide electricity required for system operations. A conventional notebook computer is configured with an accommodation slot therein so as to accommodate the battery module. In addition, a battery core of the battery module is columnar in shape, thus causing an overall thickness of the battery module to increase. However, following the thinning and shortening of a current notebook computer specification, the accommodation space of the battery module is also limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an electronic device having a thinner battery module.

The invention provides an electronic device includes a base, a battery module and an upper cover. The battery module is disposed in the base. The battery module includes a tray and at least one battery unit, wherein the battery unit is disposed on the tray. The upper cover is connected to the base and covering the battery module.

The invention provides an electronic device including a base, a battery module and an upper cover. The battery module is disposed in the base. The battery module has two battery units. The two battery units have an accommodation space disposed therebetween. The upper cover is connected to the base and covering the battery module.

The invention provides an electronic device including a base, a battery module and an upper cover. The battery module has a tray and at least one battery unit. After the battery unit is assembled on the tray and formed the battery module, the battery module is then assembled in the base. The upper cover is connected to the base and covering the battery module.

The invention provides a method for assembling a battery module of an electronic device comprising the following steps. A tray is provided. At least one battery unit is assembled on the tray. The tray is assembled in a base.

According to the foregoing, as compared to the conventional columnar battery, a thickness of the battery unit adopted by the invention is smaller. Therefore, the invention replaces the conventional columnar battery with the battery unit, so as to reduce the accommodation space within the battery of the electronic device. In correspondence to the structure of the battery unit, the tray of the invention is also designed for accommodating a tubular battery, and with the structure design of the tray, battery module of the invention can be assembled in the base more conveniently.

In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention comprehensible, several exemplary embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 a perspective view illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the electronic device in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery module and a base in FIG. 2 before an assembly.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating the battery module and the base in FIG. 2 after the assembly.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view illustrating the battery module in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view illustrating a region 5 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view illustrating a region 6 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for assembling a battery module of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 a perspective view illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, an electronic device 100 of the present embodiment includes a first device body 110 and a second device body 120, wherein the second device body 120 is pivoted on the first device body 110. Specifically, the electronic device 100 is a notebook computer combined with an input module (first device body 110) and a display module (second device body 120).

In the present embodiment, the first device body 110 may include a keyboard module 112, an upper cover 114 and a touch module 116, and the second device body 120 may include a display screen 122, wherein the touch module 116 is disposed in the central of the upper cover 114 and connected to the upper cover 114. A user may operate the electronic device 100 via the keyboard module 112 and/or the touch module 116, and view images displayed by the display screen 122. In addition, the upper cover 114 provides a hand resting place for the user during the operation.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the electronic device in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the electronic device 100 has a battery module 130, and the first device body 110 has a base 118. The keyboard module 112 is disposed in the base 118 and located at a side of the battery module 130, and the upper cover 114 is assembled in the base 118. The battery module 130 of the present embodiment is disposed in the base 118, so as to provide the electronic device 100 with an electricity required during the operation. The upper cover 114 is connected to the base 118 and covering the battery module 130.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery module and a base in FIG. 2 before an assembly. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating the battery module and the base in FIG. 2 after the assembly. FIG. 4 is an exploded view illustrating the battery module in FIG. 2. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B omit a portion of the base in order to facilitate illustration conveniences. Referring FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B and

FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the battery module 130 includes a tray 132 and a first battery unit 134 a, wherein the first battery unit 134 a is disposed on the tray 132. Nevertheless, the invention does not indented to limit an amount of the battery unit, as shown in FIG. 4, the battery module 130 further includes a third battery unit 134 b. With this, after the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b are assembled on the tray 132 and formed the battery module 130, the battery module 130 is then assembled in the base 118. In detail, the tray 132 has a first fixing portion 132 a and a second fixing portion 132 f. The first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b are respectively disposed in the first fixing portion 132 a and the second fixing portion 132 f, so as to be respectively disposed under two ends of a length direction L of the keyboard module 112 corresponded to the upper cover 114. In addition, the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b have an accommodation space 132 g. The touch module 116 is disposed in the accommodation space 132 g of the battery module 130 and exposed by an opening 114 a of the upper cover 114.

It is to be explained that the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b adopted by the present embodiment are tubular batteries. With the above configuration, as compared to a thickness of the conventional columnar battery, thicknesses of the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b of the present embodiment are smaller. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the tray 132 for accommodating the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b is redesigned corresponding to shapes of the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b, such that, with the structure design of the tray 132, the battery module 130 can be assembled in the base 118, more conveniently. In the present embodiment, the base 118 has two positioning posts 118 a, and the tray 132 further has two positioning holes 132 b. The positioning posts 118 a pass-through the positioning holes 132 b to position the tray 132 in the base 118. Certainly, by modifying the positioning holes to be on the tray and the corresponding positioning posts to be at the base, a same effect may also be achieved. The invention does not intend to limit the positioning means, as long as suitable positioning forces can be provided between the tray and the positioning posts.

On the other hand, the tray 132 further has two perforations 132 c, the battery module 130 further includes two connecting members 130 a, and the connecting members 130 a connect the tray 132 and the base 118. The connecting members 130 a respectively penetrate the perforations 132 c to assemble the tray 132 in to the base 118. Additionally, the base 118 further has two locking holes 118 b, and when the connecting members 130 a respectively penetrate the perforations 132 c and respectively lock into the locking holes 118 b, the tray 132 may be fixed into the base 118.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the electronic device 100 further includes a circuit board 140 and an electrical connector 150. The circuit board 140 is disposed in the accommodation space 132 g of the tray 132 and electrically connected to the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b. The electrical connector 150 is disposed in the base 118 in order to be electrically connected to the circuit board 140. On the other hand, the first device body 110 further has a motherboard 119, the motherboard 119 is disposed in between the base 118 and the keyboard module 112, and the motherboard 119 is connected to the electrical connector 150. Therefore, the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b are electrically connected with the motherboard 119 via the electrical connector 150.

The following further describes structures of the battery module 130 and the electrical connector 150 along with the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view illustrating a region 5 in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view illustrating a region 6 in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the tray 132 further has a crossover portion 132 d. The crossover portion 132 d connects the first fixing portion 132 a and the second fixing portion 132 f and is located between the first fixing portion 132 a and the second fixing portion 132 f, and orthogonal projections of the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b on the upper cover 114 mutually reflect each other by using an orthogonal projection of the crossover portion 132 d on the upper cover 114 as a reflection center. In detail, the crossover portion 132 d is connected to the base 118 and has a plurality of openings 132 e, and the electrical connector 150 has a plurality of flexible terminals 152, wherein the flexible terminals 152 respectively penetrate the openings 132 e to be in contact with the circuit board 140.

In the above embodiment, the battery module 130 has the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b, so as to provide the electricity required by the electronic device 100 during the operation. However, the invention does not intend to limit the amount of the battery unit; and in the following, FIG. 4 has been taken as an example to further describe the invention.

In the present embodiment, as corresponding to the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b, the battery module 130 may further include a second battery unit 136 a and a fourth battery unit 136 b, so as to be respectively disposed under the two ends of the length direction L of the keyboard module 112 corresponding to the upper cover 114. In detail, the first battery unit 134 a and the second battery unit 136 a are disposed in the first fixing portion 132 a and a portion of the first battery unit 134 a is stacked under the second battery unit 136 a, and the third battery unit 134 b and the fourth battery unit 136 b are disposed in the second fixing portion 132 f and a portion of the third battery unit 134 b is stacked under the fourth battery unit 136 b. Therefore, the first battery unit 134 a and the second battery unit 136 a of the present embodiment are at least partially overlapped along a direction (normal direction) right below the upper cover 114, and the third battery unit 134 b and the fourth battery unit 136 b are at least partially overlapped along a direction (normal direction) right below the upper cover 114, so as to form an arrangement in butterfly shape, thereby reducing the accommodation space 132 g within the electronic device 100 and providing more electricity to the electronic device 100. Certainly, in other embodiments, the battery units may be in other suitable amount and may be overlapped with each other, depending on an actual situation.

Specifically, the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b mutually reflect each other by using the orthogonal projection of the crossover portion 132 d on the upper cover 114, and the orthogonal projections of the second battery unit 136 a and the fourth battery unit 136 b on the upper cover 114 also mutually reflect each other. Additionally, the battery module 130 may further include a pair of battery covers 138. The battery covers 138 are connected to the tray 132. On the other hand, each battery cover 138 covers the corresponding second battery unit 136 a and fourth battery unit 136 b, and may prevent an electro-magnetic interference (EMI). The orthogonal projections of the second battery unit 136 a and fourth battery unit 136 b on the upper cover 114 mutually reflect each other by using the orthogonal projection of the crossover portion 132 d on the upper cover 114 as the reflection center. In the present embodiment, the orthogonal projections of the second battery unit 136 a and the fourth battery unit 136 b on the upper cover 114 are partially overlapped with the orthogonal projections of the corresponding first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b on the upper cover 114; namely, the orthogonal projections of the second battery unit 136 a and the fourth battery unit 136 b on the upper cover and the orthogonal projections of the first battery unit 134 a and the third battery unit 134 b on the upper cover 114 are dislocated in configurations.

On the other hand, as corresponding to the configurations of the first battery unit 134 a and third battery unit 134 b, and the second battery unit 136 a and the fourth battery unit 136 b, each first fixing portion 132 a and each second fixing portion 132 f are also not completely overlapped, such that they are disposed in wrong configurations in order to enable the first battery unit 134 a and third battery unit 134 b, and the second battery unit 136 a and fourth battery unit 136 b, to be disposed into the corresponding first fixing portion 132 a and the second fixing portion 132 f. Nevertheless, the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the orthogonal projection of the second battery unit 136 a on the upper cover and the orthogonal projection of the corresponding first battery unit 134 a on the upper cover are completely overlapped. Certainly, the two correspondingly disposed first fixing portions 132 a are overlapped with each other.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for assembling a battery module of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7, a method for assembling the battery module the electronic device of the present embodiment includes the following steps. Firstly, a tray 132 shown in FIG. 4 is provided (step S710). Next, a first battery unit 134 a, a second battery unit 136 a, a third battery unit 134 b and fourth battery unit 136 b are respectively assembled on the tray 132 (step S720), so as to form a battery module 130 shown in FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3B, the tray 132 is further assembled in a base 118 (step S730). As a result, the general process for assembling the battery module 130 is completed.

In summary, as compared to the conventional columnar battery, the thickness of the battery unit adopted by the invention is smaller. Therefore, the invention replaces the conventional columnar battery with the battery unit, so as to reduce the accommodation space within the battery of the electronic device. In correspondence to the structure of the battery unit, the tray of the invention is also designed for accommodating a tubular battery, and with the structure design of the tray, the battery module of the invention can be assembled in the base more conveniently.

In addition, the battery unit of the invention may be a plurality of pairs of battery units depending on actual situation, and the arrangement of battery units, which is at least partially overlapped along a direction (normal direction) right below the upper cover, such that it is totally different from an arrangement of the conventional columnar battery, which is disposed along a horizontal direction of the upper cover.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a base; a battery module disposed in the base, the battery module having a tray and at least one battery unit, wherein the battery unit is disposed on the tray; and an upper cover connected to the base and covering the battery module.
 2. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the tray has a fixing portion, and the battery unit is disposed in the fixing portion.
 3. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery module has a plurality of battery units, the tray comprises a first fixing portion and a second fixing portion disposed opposite to each other, and the battery units are respectively disposed in the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion.
 4. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery module has a first battery unit, a second battery unit, a third battery unit and a fourth battery unit, the tray comprises a first fixing portion and a second fixing portion disposed opposite to each other, the first battery unit and the second battery unit are disposed in the first fixing portion and a portion of the first battery unit is stacked under the second battery unit, the third battery unit and the are fourth battery unit disposed in the second fixing portion, and a portion of the third battery unit is stacked under the fourth battery unit.
 5. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the tray has a crossover portion connected to the base.
 6. The electronic device as recited in claim 1 further comprising: a connecting member connecting the tray and the base.
 7. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery module further comprises a circuit board disposed on the tray, and the battery unit is electrically connected to the circuit board.
 8. The electronic device as recited in claim 7 further comprising: a motherboard disposed in the base; and an electrical connector disposed in the base and electrically connected to the motherboard, wherein the circuit board of the battery module is electrically connected to the electrical connector.
 9. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery module further comprises a battery cover connected to the tray and covering the battery unit.
 10. The electronic device as recited in claim 1 further comprising: a keyboard module dispose in the base and located at a side of the battery module.
 11. An electronic device comprising: a base; a battery module disposed in the base, the battery module having two battery units, the two battery units having an accommodation space disposed therebetween; and an upper cover connected to the base and covering the battery module.
 12. The electronic device as recited in claim 11 further comprising: a touch module, wherein the upper cover has an opening, and the touch module is disposed in the accommodation space of the battery module and is exposed by the opening of the upper cover.
 13. The electronic device as recited in claim 12, wherein the touch module is connected to the upper cover.
 14. The electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the battery module further comprises a circuit board disposed in the accommodation space, and the battery units are electrically connected to the circuit board.
 15. An electronic device comprising: a base; a battery module having a tray and at least one battery unit, wherein the battery unit is assembled on the tray to form the battery module, and the battery module is then assembled in the base; and an upper cover connected to the base and covering the battery module.
 16. A method for assembling a battery module of an electronic device comprising: providing a tray; assembling at least one battery unit on the tray; and assembling the tray in a base. 